Need advice with a clogged Lamy fountain pen

[Einheit]

Gentleman I could use your help.

My favorite fountain pen I purchased a few years back in germany has seized to work. I filled the cartridge with a new bottle of Dr. Ph Martin's Blue India Ink i accidentally bought from hobby lobby instead of my usual blue calligraphy ink. The ink clogged up the nib and dried up so i emptied the cartridge of the bad ink, ran water through the pen to try to clean it out, and filled the cartridge with my old ink. This did nothing and the pen still writes like crap, requiring me to put a lot of pressure in order to get words down on paper.

TL;DR i filled my pen up with the wrong ink. Thoroughly cleaned it and filled with good ink and it still doesn't write well again.

I have been using this pen nonstop for the past two years and using disposable ball points in its place just does not do it for me

Any advice? Its a Lamy Safari FP

 

[nemo]

Try Koh-i-noor Rapido Eze, pull the nib off, scrub the feed with a toothbrush, soak in a solution of the Rapido Eze. Good luck!

 

[rider4life]

You could also try soaking the nib and feed section overnight in a very, VERY light solution of dish detergent and water. That should loosen up anything in there still and allow the pen to write properly again.

Cheers,

M.

 

[nemo]

You could also try soaking the nib and feed section overnight in a very, VERY light solution of dish detergent and water. That should loosen up anything in there still and allow the pen to write properly again.

Cheers,

M.

The trouble is that this ink is shellac-based for waterproofing and is not soluble in soap and water. Won't hurt to try and Rapido-Eze is rather expensive. It has worked successfully for me with art (India) inks.

 

[strop]

Doug, have you ever tried an alcohol soak, since that is the solvent for shellac. (Unless that is what Rapido-Eze is, I haven't looked it up.) Not sure what it would do to the feed, but it is not really usable as is.

 

[syngent]

I thought lamys were plastic? Wouldnt alcohol be a bit harsh for that?

 

[Einheit]

Syngent- it is plastic

I have it in a bath of room temperature water now. Being that the ink is waterproof is this going to help any or do i need to add product?

btw thanks for the help so far guys!

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

shellac will hold through water. alcohol, mineral spirits, paint thinner... :/

Do they still make Testor's detergent? I'm sure it all hurts the plastic...

 

[k4dm0nky]

use a nasal aspirator... fill it with water and dawn soap, plug it into the lamy where the cartridge goes, squeeze nasal aspirator, and watch it blow!do that a few times till its nice and clear and no soap coming out. hope that helps. I do this after every different ink i use.

 

[Einheit]

The trouble is that this ink is shellac-based for waterproofing and is not soluble in soap and water. Won't hurt to try and Rapido-Eze is rather expensive. It has worked successfully for me with art (India) inks.

Wouldn't a detergent water solution be soluble with waterproof ink because of detergent's hydrophilic-hydrophobic nature? I followed rider4life and your advice and i brushed the nib with a detergent-water solution with a toothbrush.

We shall see tomorrow in class if it writes up to par again .

Thanks!

 

[Bill R]

I'm certainly no expert in this field... but would it be worth trying an ultra-sonic cleaner?

Of course is this is a big NO! then don't be too hard on me

 

[cb91710]

I'm certainly no expert in this field... but would it be worth trying an ultra-sonic cleaner?

Of course is this is a big NO! then don't be too hard on me

Always be super cautious of ultrasonics on plastics.

 

[nemo]

Wouldn't a detergent water solution be soluble with waterproof ink because of detergent's hydrophilic-hydrophobic nature?

No, because the art ink hardens -- it generally has shellac in it.

Doug, have you ever tried an alcohol soak, since that is the solvent for shellac. (Unless that is what Rapido-Eze is, I haven't looked it up.) Not sure what it would do to the feed, but it is not really usable as is.

I'm always very reluctant to recommend alcohol to clean a pen, it does so much damage to many materials (celluloid, hard rubber, many plastics). But then again, if the pen has been ruined by the art ink, what do you have to lose?

 

[Einheit]

Alright. I soaked the upper portion of the pen over night in room temp water; which, I later learned, did nothing. I then scrubbed the feed section with a toothbrush and a laundry detergent water mix.

Well, it appears my frugal and ignorant means of cleaning the pen did the job because it is back to writing like a champ .

Thanks for the help gentlemen, I learned a few things that I was not previously aware of!

 

[nemo]

Alright. I soaked the upper portion of the pen over night in room temp water; which, I later learned, did nothing. I then scrubbed the feed section with a toothbrush and a laundry detergent water mix.

Well, it appears my frugal and ignorant means of cleaning the pen did the job because it is back to writing like a champ .

Thanks for the help gentlemen, I learned a few things that I was not previously aware of!

Glad to hear it! Now hurry up and toss that Dr Ph Martin's India ink.

 

[the_edski]

Best advice I've seen in the thread so far! India and iron gall ink frightens me from all the horror stories I've read!

Glad to hear it! Now hurry up and toss that Dr Ph Martin's India ink.

 

[nemo]

India and iron gall ink frightens me from all the horror stories I've read!

Nothing to worry about with modern iron gall inks. Many vintage pens ran on a diet of the stuff for years, they were designed for it. Just practice good pen hygiene as usual, you'll be fine.

The stuff from the Middle Ages, now that's a different story.

 

[hariharan]

nemo,
You have mentioned that the ink is not watersoluble.
DOes this apply to other water proof inks as well ? there are many bulletproof inks which are water resistant.. So if i use those inks, will i find it difficult to clean them by simpler water -detergent soaking ?

 

[nemo]

nemo,
You have mentioned that the ink is not watersoluble.
DOes this apply to other water proof inks as well ? there are many bulletproof inks which are water resistant.. So if i use those inks, will i find it difficult to clean them by simpler water -detergent soaking ?

Just the art inks hari. Some of the Noodler's bulletproof inks are tough to clean out but they are water soluble.

Some India ink manufacturers say they are OK for fountain pen use. DO NOT be fooled! There is some bad labeling and advertising going on there.